Building my tiny house: DIY cedar tongue and groove siding

When it comes to building your own tiny house, every detail feels personal. I’ve touched every single 2×4 that makes up the frame of the house. I’ve handled every piece of plywood that sheathes the floor. One of the most rewarding experiences in my tiny house journey was making and installing my own cedar tongue and groove exterior siding. It was challenging at times but worth every second because it ended up creating the perfect natural tones to my mostly metal tiny house. Here’s how I did it and what I learned along the way.

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If you’re more of a video person, check out the YouTube video.

Why I Chose Cedar

Cedar is a beautiful, durable wood, known for its natural resistance to decay, rot, and insect damage. Since my house is small, I wanted to use materials that reflect the outdoors and help my home blend into the environment. Plus, cedar’s longevity made it a great choice for a low-maintenance exterior.

Finding the Right Cedar

Over a year ago, Doug visited his parents in Arkansas. He went to a local wood mill and saw they had freshly sawn cedar that he wanted to get for Debby’s she shack. He wanted to make tongue and groove siding for the interior. He called me up and asked if I wanted him to bring some for the tiny house. It was an immediate yes! The boards were this beautiful purple. I saved a lot of money by going this route, but I also learned a lot about the woodworking process.

Crafting the Tongue and Groove Boards

First, we had to let the boards dry out. Doug used a tool to detect the moisture level of the cedar. It was almost a year before we actually started to mill the wood! Doug has a 20 year old planer that we used, and this part was my least favorite of the whole experience. Why? Because planing is LOUD and takes FOREVER. We planed >200 boards 4 or 5 times. You basically stand in the same spot for 8 hours pulling the wood through the planer. My back and feet were sore. It took multiple days. In hindsight, I’m very appreciative and glad we did it. I will never do it again. 😛

We then had to cut the boards to the right height. We wanted to cut as little as possible but they all needed to be same size. We went with 5″ and some change. This was a much quicker process than planing.

Doug and I went halfsies on a router that would mill the tongue and groove edges. We ran each board through, making sure that the board was facing the right way to match the edges.

Staining and Sealing

Before installing the boards, I applied a waterproofing sealer to protect the cedar from the weather. It added more of a traditional cedar tone, which gives it the more honey/brown notes that you see today. I was sad to see the purple go, but I still love the overall vibe.

Installation Process

We were ready to install! Because most of my exterior siding is metal, I already purchased metal trimming for the bottom. We installed this layer first, and then from the bottom, added the cedar.

Doug made a jig for the nail gun that allowed you to nail into the top of the tongue. That way, when you added the next set on top, it covered the nail. Genius! This made installation much easier. However, there was still a lot of ensuring the board was interlocked correctly and was on straight.

When we got near the windows, we trimmed the window with leftover cedar. I built the frame and then hung it over the wall using a staple gun to attach it to the house. When the levels of cedar siding reached the window, we then used the storyboard technique to ensure that when we added the siding around the window, they lined up when we got to the top of the window.

The Final Result

Looking at the finished siding, I feel an immense sense of accomplishment. It was a big project, but the experience of creating something with my own two hands made it all the more rewarding.

If you’re considering taking on a project like this for your own tiny house, I say go for it! It’s challenging but also incredibly fulfilling to see your vision come to life, board by board.